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Leaving Prius unused for 6 weeks

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by slamdunc, Nov 9, 2007.

  1. slamdunc

    slamdunc New Member

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    Hi -

    Tried to search for this topic with no luck, so forgive me if it's been asked and answered elsewhere (feel free to reply with a link to that!)

    Going away for about 6 weeks and wondering what this will do to my Prius.
    - Will it have an adverse effect on the batteries and other parts?
    - Should I ask a friend to start it every couple of weeks?


    I don't want anything to dry up, crack, die, etc. (nor do I want to inconvenience my friends too much) while I'm away, so any advice or experience on the topic is very much appreciated!!

    :D
     
    #1 slamdunc, Nov 9, 2007
  2. KD6HDX

    KD6HDX New Member

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    Get a FLOAT charger and clip the leads to your small aux battery in the trunk area. Harbor freight has these things all day for around $8 bucks on average.

    good luck.

    I currently have an extra battery in the garage that lives on a float charger 24 / 7.
     
    #2 KD6HDX, Nov 9, 2007
  3. torresr001

    torresr001 New Member

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    For what it is worth, we just took our 2007 Prius for a drive and then parked it in the driveway for the six weeks we were on vacation. We got back and it started up without any problems

    Bob :)
     
    #3 torresr001, Nov 9, 2007
  4. patsparks

    patsparks An Aussie perspective

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    It would most likely be safer to leave the prius untouched for 6 weeks than have a non Prius owner start it from time to time. If they leave it in neutral they can flatten the traction battery. The lead acid battery needs more attention than the traction battery.
     
    #4 patsparks, Nov 9, 2007
  5. judymcfarland

    judymcfarland Queen of Moral Indignation

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    Turn off SKS sytem if you have it.
     
    #5 judymcfarland, Nov 9, 2007
  6. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    Unplug the 12-volt battery.

    That's a long time for any vehicle to sit unused. Even a minor drain will use up the finite electricity supply available after awhile. Why take the risk when it is so simple to avoid?
     
    #6 john1701a, Nov 9, 2007
  7. efusco

    efusco Moderator Emeritus
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    <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(KD6HDX @ Nov 9 2007, 03:41 AM) [snapback]537167[/snapback]</div>
    My vote.
    If you don't think this is something you'd ever use again and don't want to bother then my second choice would be to pull the dome fuse while you're away.
     
    #7 efusco, Nov 9, 2007
  8. slamdunc

    slamdunc New Member

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    Thanks to all of you guys for all the prompt replies. I appreciate your time and post back here when I decide what I'll do in case it'll help anyone else.

    We're going to be sad that we won't have our Prius for 6 weeks :( My mom has a Civic hybrid but it's not quite the same...
     
    #8 slamdunc, Nov 9, 2007
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